V-shaped gynecological examination support device



Jan. 11, 1966 RlEDELL 3,228,39

V-SHAPED GYNEGOLOGICAL EXAMINATION SUPPORT DEVICE Filed March 7, 1963 INVENTOR. EDW/A/ H. 9/505- MAHONE); HALBEET & f/oeA/aA/(sz A rrazmsys United States Patent 3,228,399 SHAPED GYNECOLOGICAL EXAMINATION SUPPORT DEVICE Edwin H. Riedell, 8306 La Bajada, Whittier, Calif. Filed Mar. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 263,545 3 Claims. (Cl. 128303) This invention relates to a pelvic examination device and, more particularly, to an examination device adapted to be supported upon the body of the examinee to facilitate the making of pelvic examinations.

At the present time, as is Well known to those skilled in the art, a wide variety of different types of devices are provided in conjunction with examination tables to facilirate the conduct of pelvic examinations. However, such devices do not prevent spasmodic movement of the legs of the examinee during the examination of sensitive areas of the body.

Therefore, it is an object of my invention to provide a pelvic examination device which is adapted to maintain the legs of the examinee against spasmodic inward movement by restraining the legs of the examinee from the pubic area to the knees.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a pelvic examination device which is adapted to be mounted between the confronting surfaces of the thighs of the ex aminee and which has leg-engaging saddles thereupon incorporating restraining means adapted to secure the legs in fixed positions on the examination device.

Pelvic examinations must frequently be conducted in hospital beds which are not equipped with conventional examination devices, and the difiiculties inherent in such examinations are well known to those skilled in the art.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a pelvic examination device of the aforementioned charac ter which is adapted to be mounted upon the body of the examinee and which is relatively light and portable and does not need to be afiixed to the bed or table upon which the examinee is resting.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawing, which is for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing the examining device disposed in operative relationship with the body of a patient;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the examining device;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the broken line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of a saddle portion of the examining device.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to FIGS. 1-2 thereof, I show a gynecological examining device constructed in accordance with the teachings of the invention and including a unitary body 12. The body 12 may be formed from any desired type of material, but I have found it desirable to utilize a plastic material such as methyl methacrylate, or the like, because of the fact that such material is less likely to be cold to the touch than the metals conventionally used in examining stirrups, and the like.

The body 12, in the present embodiment of the invention, is formed as a unitary structure, that is, with all of the components of the body molded, formed or secured into one piece. However, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the body 12 may be fabricated from separate components which are attached to each other by conventional means, such as rivets or the like.

The body 12 is of generally V-shaped configuration and includes an intermediate, fiat, pubis-contacting portion 14 3,228,399 Patented Jan. 11, 1966 which is adapted to engage the pubic region of the examinee, as illustrated schematically in FIG. 1 of the drawing. Formed integrally with the portion 14 are angularly oriented supporting portions 16 which are adapted to engage the confronting portions of the thighs of the examinee to maintain the legs of the examinee in a predetermined position. FIGURE 3 shows the angular orientation of the pubis-contacting portion 14 and its engagement with the pubic area.

As best shown in the top plan View, FIG. 1, the pubiscontacting portion 14 is of generally frusto-triangular shape, and the upper edge thereof is disposed rearwardly of the lower edge thereof to angularly orient said pubiscontacting portion with reference to the inner extremities of the angularly oriented supporting portions 16.

As best shown in FIGS. 1-2 and 4, the angularly oriented supporting portions 16 are connected to the pubiscontacting portion 14 at obtuse angles to impart the substantially V-shaped configuration to the body 12. In addition, the fiat supporting portions 16 are angularly oriented out of co-planarity with each other so that the lower edges are closer together than the upper edges thereof to permit the outer surfaces of the supporting por tions 16 to uniformly engage the adjacent surfaces of the thighs of the examinee.

Formed integrally with and secured to the outer extremities of the portions 16 are saddles 18 which are of susbtantially arcuate configuration and which are adapted to partially encompass the adjacent areas of the inner thighs of the examinee. The saddles 18 are, as best shown in FIG. 4 of the drawing, provided upon the extremities of the thigh engaging portions 16 of the body 12 and are, themselves, angularly oriented because of the angular orientation of the thigh engaging portions 16 in planes divergent from each other.

Restraining means constituted by straps 22 are provided upon the saddles 18 and are adapted to maintain the legs of the examinee in operative relationship with said saddles. In order to conform the pubis-contacting portion 14 of the examining device 10 to the corresponding area of the body of the examinee, said portion is angularly inclined, as best shown in FIG. 3 of the drawing, to achieve such conformity.

Since the examining device 10 is of relatively light weight construction, it is supported entirely upon the body of the examinee with the portion 14 thereof disposed in overlying relationship with that portion of the examining gown in which the examinee is clothed. Therefore, the examining device 10 can be utilized in environments where no conventional stirrups or similar means are available, such as hospital beds, and the like. In addition, the examining device 10 eliminates all of the height adjustments and pivoting mechanisms characteristic of prior art constructions since it is automatically self adjusting into conformity with the body of the examinee by the mere placement of the portion 14 in engagement with the pubic area.

I claim:

1. A pelvic examination device adapted to be wholly supported upon an examinee, including: a unitary body of generally V-shaped configuration, said body having an intermediate, flat, transverse, singularly-oriented, pubiscontacting portion adapted to engage only the pubic area of the examinee, and angularly oriented leg-supporting portions rigidly connected to said pubis-contacting por tion at obtuse angles, so that when said angularly-oriented, pubis-contacting portion is engaged with the pubic area, the supporting portions extend upwardly and outwardly from each other, the outer extremities of said supporting portions having leg-engaging saddles thereupon for engaging the legs of the examinee adjacent the knees.

2. In a pelvic examination device adapted to be wholly supported upon an examinee, the combination of: a unitary body of generally V-shaped configuration, including an intermediate, transverse, flat, angularly-oriented, pubiscontacting portion, said body having a pair of leg-supporting portions which are connected at their inner extremities to said pubis-contacting portion at obtuse angles, so that when said pubis-contacting portion is engaged with the pubic area, said supporting portions extend upwardly and outwardly from each other, said supporting portions having leg-engaging saddles at their outer extremities; and restraining means connected to said saddles adapted to maintain the legs of the examinee in operative relationship with said saddles.

3. In a pelvic examination device adapted to be wholly supported upon the examinee, the combination of: a unitary body structure of generally V-shaped configuration, said body structure having an intermediate, flat, angularlyoriented, pubis-contacting portion which is substantially frusto-triangular in plan configuration and which has in- 20 tegrally formed therewith at opposite sides thereof elongated, flat, leg-supporting sections, each section being disposed at an obtuse angle with respect to said pubis-contacting portion, and being disposed in non-parallel relationship to the other section, so that the space between the forward edges of said sections is less than the space between the rear edges of said sections, said sections having saddles at their extremities for engaging the legs of the examinee; and restraining means on said saddles for securing said body to the legs of said examinee.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,031,105 7/1912 Boggan 128-303 2,492,920 12/ 1949 Koster 12880 FOREIGN PATENTS 355,504 8/1931 Great Britain.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner. 

1. A PELVIC EXAMINATION DEVICE ADAPTED TO BE WHOLLY SUPPORTED UPON AN EXAMINEE, INCLUDING: A UNITRAY BODY OF GENERALLY V-SHAPED CONFIGURATION, SAID BODY HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE, FLAT, TRANSVERSE, ANGULARLY-ORIENTED, PUBISCONTACTING PORTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE ONLY THE PUBIC AREA OF THE EXAMINEE, AND ANGULARLY ORIENTED LEG-SUPPORTING PORTIONS RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO SAID PUBIS-CONTACTING PORTION AT OBTUSE ANGLES, SO THAT WHEN SAID ANGULARLY-ORIENTED, PUBIS-CONTACTING PORTION IS ENGAGED WITH THE PUBIC AREA, THE SUPPORTING PORTIONS EXTEND UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY 